2. What is Crop Production ?
Crop production is a branch of agriculture that deals with growing crops for use as food and fiber
Degree programs in crop production are available at undergraduate and graduate levels. Graduates
are eligible for a variety of agricultural careers.
Types of Crops ?
The Four Main Crops Categories are :
• Food Crops
• Cash Crops
• Plantation Crops
• Horticulture crops
3. Food Crops
Food crops, such as fruit and
vegetables, are harvested for
human consumption. Grains, such
as corn, wheat, and rice, are the
world's most popular food crops.
Food crops were the first crops to
be harvested through agriculture
Eg : wheat, rice, corn, barley,
oats, sorghum, and millet etc...
4. Cash Crops
A cash crop or profit crop is an
agricultural crop which is grown to
sell for profit. It is typically
purchased by parties separate from
a farm. The term is used to
differentiate marketed crops from
subsistence crops, which are those
fed to the producer's own livestock
or grown as food for the producer's
family.
Eg : Coffee, cocoa, tea etc..
5. Plantation Crops
Plantation crops are those which are
cultivated on extensive scale like tea,
coffee and rubber. Here the
term plantation or estate is used
synonymously. Estate
or plantation means large scale
agricultural unit usually of a single crop.
Eg : tea, coffee, rubber, cocoa,
coconut, etc..
6. Horticulture Crops
Horticulture is the science and art of
the development, sustainable
production, marketing, and use of high-
value, intensively cultivated food and
ornamental plants. Horticultural
crops are diverse; they include annual
and perennial species, delicious fruits
and vegetables, and decorative indoor
and landscape plants.
Eg : tree, bush and perennial
vine fruits, fruits and flowers of
edible etc..
7. Methods Of Crop Production
Agricultural Practices
Basic Practices of Crop Production
Preparation of Soil
Sowing
Adding Manure and Fertilisers
Irrigation
Protection from Weeds
Harvesting
Storage
Food from Animals
8. Agricultural Practices
When plants of the same kind are grown and cultivated at one place on a large scale, it
is called a crop. For example, crop of wheat means that all the plants grown in a field are
that of wheat.
You already know that crops are of different types like cereals, vegetables and fruits.
These can be classified on the basis of the season in which they grow.
India is a vast country. The climatic conditions like temperature, humidity and rainfall
vary from one region to another. Accordingly, there is a rich variety of crops grown in
different parts of the country. Despite this diversity, two broad cropping patterns can be
identified. These are:
(i) Kharif Crops : The crops which are sown in the rainy season are called kharif crops.
The rainy season in India is generally from June to September. Paddy, maize, soyabean,
groundnut, cotton, etc., are kharif crops.
(ii) Rabi Crops : The crops grown in the winter season are called rabi crops. Their time
period is generally from October to March. Examples of rabi crops are wheat, gram, pea,
mustard and linseed.
Besides these, pulses and vegetables are grown during summer at many places.
9. Basic Practices of Crop Production
Cultivation of crops involves several activities undertaken by farmers over a
period of time. You may find that these activities are similar to those carried out
by a gardener or even by you when you grow ornamental plants in your house.
These activities or tasks are referred to as agricultural practices. These activities
are listed below.
(i) Preparation of soil
(ii) Sowing
(iii) Adding manure and fertilisers
(iv) Irrigation
(v) Protecting from weeds
(vi) Harvesting
(vii) Storage
10. Preparation of Soil
The preparation of soil is the first step before growing a crop. One of the most
important tasks in agriculture is to turn the soil and loosen it. This allows the roots
to penetrate deep into the soil. The loose soil allows the roots to breathe easily
even when they go deep into the soil.
The loosened soil helps in the growth of earthworms and microbes present in the
soil. These organisms are friends of the farmer since they further turn and loosen
the soil and add humus to it.
soil contains minerals, water, air and some living organisms. In addition, dead plants
and animals get decomposed by soil organisms. In this way, various nutrients held
in the dead organisms are released back into the soil. These nutrients are again
absorbed by plants
11. Since only a few centimetres of the top layer of soil supports plant growth, turning and loosening of soil brings the
nutrient-rich soil to the top so that plants can use these nutrients. Thus, turning and loosening of soil is very
important for cultivation of crops.
The process of loosening and turning of the soil is called tilling or ploughing. This is done by using a plough.
Ploughs are made of wood or iron. If the soil is very dry, it may need watering before ploughing. The ploughed field
may have big pieces of soil called crumbs. It is necessary to break these crumbs with a plank. The field is levelled for
sowing as well as for irrigation purposes. The levelling of soil is done with the help of a leveller.
Sometimes, manure is added to the soil before tilling. This helps in proper mixing of manure with soil. The soil is
watered before sowing.
Agricultural Implements
Before sowing the seeds, it is necessary to break soil to the size of grains to get better yield. This is done with the
help of various tools. The main tools used for this purpose are the plough, hoe and cultivator.
Plough : This is being used since ancient times for tilling the soil, adding fertilisers to the crop, removing the weeds,
weeds, scraping of soil, etc. This implement is made of wood and is drawn by a pair of bulls or other animals
(horses, camels, etc.). It contains a strong triangular iron strip called ploughshare. The main part of the plough is a
long log of wood which is called a ploughshaft. There is a handle at one end of the shaft. The other end is attached
to a beam which is placed on the bulls’ necks. One pair of bulls and a man can easily operate the plough [Fig. 1.1
(a)].
The indigenous wooden plough is increasingly being replaced by iron ploughs nowadays.
Hoe : It is a simple tool which is used for removing weeds and for loosening the soil. It has a long rod of wood or
iron. A strong, broad and bent plate of iron is fixed to one of its ends and
Cultivator : Nowadays ploughing is done by tractor driven cultivator. The use of cultivator saves labour and time
12. Sowing
Sowing is the most important part of crop production. Before sowing, good
quality seeds are selected. Good quality seeds are clean and healthy seeds of a
good variety. Farmers prefer to use seeds which give a high yield.
This is a good method for separating good, healthy seeds from the damaged
ones. Before sowing, one of the important tasks is to know about the tools
used for sowing seeds
Traditional tool : The tool used traditionally for sowing seeds is shaped like a
funnel [Fig. 1.2 (a)]. The seeds are filled into the funnel, passed down through
two or three pipes having sharp ends. These ends pierce into the soil and place
seeds there.
Seed drill : Nowadays the seed drill [Fig. 1.2 (b)] is used for sowing with the
help of tractors. This tool sows the seeds uniformly at proper distances and
depths. It ensures that seeds get covered by the soil after sowing. This prevents
damage caused by birds. Sowing by using a seed drill saves time and labour
13. Adding Manure and Fertilisers
The substances which are added to the soil in the form of nutrients for the
healthy growth of plants are called manure and fertilisers.
Soil supplies mineral nutrients to the crop. These nutrients are essential for the
growth of plants. In certain areas, farmers grow crop after crop in the same
field. The field is never left uncultivated or fallow
Continuous growing of crops makes the soil poorer in certain nutrients.
Therefore, farmers have to add manure to the fields to replenish the soil with
nutrients. This process is called manuring. Improper or insufficient manuring
results in weak plants.
Manure is an organic substance obtained from the decomposition of plant or
animal wastes. Farmers dump plant and animal waste in pits at open places
and allow it to decompose. The decomposition is caused by some
microorganisms. The decomposed matter is used as organic manure
14. Irrigation
All living beings need water to live. Water is important for proper growth
and development of flowers, fruits and seeds of plants. Water is absorbed
by the plant roots. Along with water, minerals and fertilisers are also
absorbed. Plants contain nearly 90% water. Water is essential because
germination of seeds does not take place under dry conditions. Nutrients
dissolved in water get transported to each part of the plant. Water also
protects the crop from both frost and hot air currents. To maintain the
moisture of the soil for healthy crop growth, fields have to be watered
regularly.
The supply of water to crops at different intervals is called irrigation. The
time and frequency of irrigation varies from crop to crop, soil to soil and
season to season. In summer, the frequency of watering is higher.
Sources of irrigation : The sources of irrigation are— wells, tubewells,
ponds, lakes, rivers, dams and canals.
15. Traditional Methods of Irrigation - The water available in wells, lakes and canals is lifted up
by different methods in different regions, for taking it to the fields.
Cattle or human labour is used in these methods. So these methods are cheaper, but less
efficient. The various traditional ways are:
moat (pulley-system)
chain pump
dhekli, and
rahat (Lever system)
Pumps are commonly used for lifting water. Diesel, biogas, electricity and solar energy is
used to run these pumps
Modern Methods of Irrigation - Modern methods of irrigation help us to use water
economically. The main methods used are as follows:
(i) Sprinkler System: This system is more useful on the uneven land where sufficient water
not available. The perpendicular pipes, having rotating nozzles on top, are joined to the
main pipeline at regular intervals. When water is allowed to flow through the main pipe
under pressure with the help of a pump, it escapes from the rotating nozzles. It gets
sprinkled on the crop as if it is raining. Sprinkler is very useful for sandy soil
16. (ii) Drip system : In this system, the water falls drop by drop just at the position of
the roots. So it is called drip system. It is the best technique for watering fruit
plants, gardens and trees. The system provides water to plants drop by
is not wasted at all. It is a boon in regions where availability of water is poor.
17. Protection from Weeds
In a field many other undesirable plants may grow naturally along with the crop.
These undesirable plants are called weeds.
The removal of weeds is called weeding. Weeding is necessary since weeds
compete with the crop plants for water, nutrients, space and light. Thus, they affect
the growth of the crop. Some weeds interfere even in harvesting and may be
poisonous for animals and human beings.
Farmers adopt many ways to remove weeds and control their growth. Tilling before
sowing of crops helps in uprooting and killing of weeds, which may then dry up
and get mixed with the soil. The best time for the removal of weeds is before they
produce flowers and seeds. The manual removal includes physical removal of
weeds by uprooting or cutting them close to the ground, from time to time. This is
done with the help of a khurpi. A seed drill is also used to uproot weeds.
Weeds are also controlled by using certain chemicals, called weedicides, like 2,4-D.
These are sprayed in the fields to kill the weeds. They do not damage the crops.
The weedicides are diluted with water to the extent required and sprayed in the
fields with a sprayer.
18. Harvesting
Harvesting of a crop is an important task. The cutting of crop after it is
mature is called harvesting. In harvesting, crops are pulled out or cut
close to the ground. It usually takes 3 to 4 months for a cereal crop to
mature.
Harvesting in our country is either done manually by sickle or by a
machine called harvester. In the harvested crop, the grain seeds need to
be separated from the chaff. This process is called threshing. This is
carried out with the help of a machine called ‘combine’ which is in fact a
combined harvester and thresher
Farmers with small holdings of land do the separation of grain and chaff
by winnowing
19. Storage
Storage of produce is an important task. If the crop grains are to be kept for
longer time, they should be safe from moisture, insects, rats and
microorganisms. The fresh crop has more moisture. If freshly harvested grains
(seeds) are stored without drying, they may get spoilt or attacked by organisms,
losing their germination capacity. Hence, before storing them, the grains are
properly dried in the sun to reduce the moisture in them. This prevents the
attack by insect pests, bacteria and fungi. Farmers store grains in jute bags or
metallic bins. However, large scale storage of grains is done
in silos and granaries to protect them from pests like rats and insects.
Dried neem leaves are used for storing food grains at home. For storing large
quantities of grains in big godowns, specific chemical treatments are required to
protect them from pests and microorganisms.
20. Food from Animals
After completing this Table, you must have seen that, like plants, animals also
provide us with different kinds of food. Many people living in the coastal areas
consume fish as a major part of their diet. In the previous classes you have learnt
about the food that we obtain from plants. We have just seen that the process of
crop production involves a number of steps like selection of seeds, sowing, etc.
Similarly, animals reared at home or in farms, have to be provided with proper
food, shelter and care. When this is done on a large scale, it is called animal
husbandry.
21. Crop Production in Himachal Pradesh
Main Crops of Agriculture in Himachal Pradesh
Agriculture contributes over 45% to the net state domestic product. It is the main
source of income and employment in Himachal. Over 93% of the population in
Himachal depend directly upon agriculture which provides direct employment to 71%
of its people.
22. The entire population of the state more or less depends directly upon the Agriculturein
Himachal Pradesh. The major portion of the revenue earning in the state’s economyis
carried out by the cash crops in theAgriculture in Himachal Pradesh. The chief foodcrops
cultivated in Agriculture in Himachal Pradesh include wheat, maize, rice, barley,seed-
potato, ginger, vegetables, vegetable seeds, mushrooms, chicory seeds, hops,olives, and
fig. Himachal Pradesh is also known as the ‘Apple State of India’ for itslarge-scale
production of fruits. Farmers have engaged themselves highly in the fruitcultivation and it
is also a great blessing to the economy of the state. Some veryimportant factors that has
led to the outstanding development in the Agriculture inHimachal Pradesh are an efficient
irrigation system, accessibility of low-cost cargo,and marketing facilities structured in an
organized form.However Agriculture in Himachal Pradesh suffers from certain limitations,
especially
in the production of food grains. One of the reasons is that the area under
cultivationcannot be extended to any appreciable extent. Reclamation of land on slopes of
hillsfor cultivation of food grains is neither economical nor beneficial. The farmers
canprofit more by raising cash crops suited to the agro-climatic conditions. Another
reasonis that reclamation of land from the hills increases the menace of soil erosion.
23. Terrace Farming of Agriculture in Himachal
Pradesh
The main cereals grown are wheat, maize, rice and barley. Kangra,
Mandi district and tosome extent Paonta valley of Sirmur district
are the major producers of the 1st threecereals, while barley is
mostly grown in Shimla district. Although the state is deficit infood
grains, it has gained tremendously in other spheres of agricultural
productionsuch as seed-potato, ginger, vegetables, vegetable
seeds, mushrooms, chicory seeds,hops, olives and fig especially
vegetables and seed potato which is disease free andgood quality
are providing a good source of income to the farmers. Seed-potato
is mostly grown in Shimla, Kulu and Lahaul areas.
24. Fruit Cultivation of Agriculture in
Himachal Pradesh
cultivation does not add to the problem of soil erosion and its employment
potential is much morehan that of conventional farming. The yield per acre
in terms of money is also muchhigher. Apples yield the maximum income.
Fruit growing in Himachal is presentlyfetching over Rs.300 crore annually.
Special efforts are being made to promotecultivation of new crops like
olives, figs, hops, mushrooms, flowers, pistachio nuts, sardamelon and
saffron. Himachal has earned the name of the ‘Apple State of India’.
25. Crop Production in Kerala
Rice is the most important food crop grown in Kerala. It occupies 7.46 percent of the total
cropped area of the state. However, the area under rice has been falling at an alarming
rate ever since the 1980s. From 8.82 lakh hectare in 1974-75, the paddy area has come
down to 1.96 lakh hectare in 2015-16. The production has also concomitantly declined
from 13.76 lakh MT in 1972-73 (peak of production) to 5.49 lakh MT in 2015-16 .
Moreover, the productivity of the crop is very low in the State (2790 kg/ha), though it is
higher than the national average (2424 kg/ha). There has only been a marginal increase
in the productivity of rice in the past four decades. China, which is the major producer of
rice in the world, reports a productivity (6744 kg/ha) more than three times the
productivity of rice in Kerala. The productivity of rice in Egypt is the highest in the world
(9088 kg/ha), which is nearly four-fold of our productivity. Punjab is the state with the
highest yield in the country (3952 kg/ha). In the recent months, the State government has
taken a number of steps for the promotion of paddy cultivation.
Main Crops of Agriculture in Kerala
26. here are three main rice growing seasons in the state: (a) Virippu season/Autumn
season/First crop season, which starts in April-May and extends up to September-
October; (b) Mundakan season/Winter season/Second crop season, which starts in
September-October and extends up to December-January; and (c) Puncha
season/Summer season/Third crop season, which starts in December-January and
extends up to March-April. In Kerala, winter crop (mundakan) has been greater than the
other two crops (summer and autumn) both in terms of area as well as production.
However, in 2015-16, all the three seasons showed a declining trend resulting in an
overall reduction in production.
Palakkad, Alappuzha, Thrissur and Kottayam account for about 81.2 percent of the total
production of rice in the state, their individual shares being 41 percent, 16 percent, 14
percent and 9 percent respectively. In 2015-16, Alappuzha and Palakkad recorded a
decline in production, while Thrissur and Kottayam recorded a slight increase in
production. District-wise area under rice cultivation shows that area under rice fell for all
the districts of the State between 1996-97 and 2012-13. However, the decline was
sharpest for Ernakulam (93 per cent) followed by Kollam (92 per cent),
Thiruvananthapuram (86 per cent) and Malappuram (78 per cent). On the positive side, in
Kottayam and Alappuzha, the major rice growing districts, the decline was much less
pronounced (13 and 12 per cent respectively). In 2015-16, Palakkad, Alappuzha and
Wayanad, showed a decline in area as well as production of rice in the State
27. Coconut
In terms of area under cultivation, coconut is the most important crop in the state with
over 7.9 lakh hectare under cultivation. It accounts for the largest share in the Gross
Cropped Area (GCA) followed by rubber and paddy. Kerala has the largest area under
the crop in the country, but in terms of production it comes third. This indicates the low
productivity of the crop in the state with just 7535 nuts per hectare compared to Tamil
Nadu and Andhra Pradesh where the productivity is 14,873 nuts per hectare and 13,808
nuts per hectare respectively in 2014-15. Also, Kerala’s share in area and production of
coconut in the country has declined over time. While Kerala accounted for 69.58 per
cent of the area and 69.52 per cent of the production in the country in 1960-61, the
corresponding shares declined to 40.2 per cent and 42.12 per cent respectively in 2011-
12. However, the area and production of coconut in the state has been increasing. From
29.88 per cent of the Net Sown Area in 1980-81, the share of area cultivated with
coconut increased to 41.96 per cent in 2000-01; in 2011-12, the corresponding share
stood at 40.24 per cent. The production also increased during this period. From 3220
million nuts in 1960-61, the production increased to 5536 million nuts in 2000-01. After
that the production plateaued and was more or less stagnant in the next decade. Thus,
the increase in output was more on account of increase in acreage as the productivity of
the crop is very low in the state. Between 2014-15 and 2015-16, there was a marginal
decline in the production of coconut from 5947 million nuts to 5873 million nuts
28. Pepper
India comes third in the production of pepper in the world after Vietnam and Indonesia.
However, the production of pepper in the country has been stagnant at around 50,000
tonnes in the last few years and hence is fast losing its status as a leading producer and
exporter of pepper. Grown mostly in the slopes of Western Ghats in Kerala, Karnataka, and
Tamil Nadu, the area under cultivation of pepper has come down drastically in the last
decade, which has adversely affected production and export. In 2015-16, pepper production
recorded a decline to 55,000 tonnes from 70,000 tonnes in 2014-15. However, Kerala, which
accounts for 75 percent of the total production in the country, recorded a slight increase in
pepper production from 40.6 thousand tonnes in 2014-15 to 42.1 thousand tonnes in 2015-
16.With regard to prices, there has been a rally in pepper prices since 2010. However, in 2015,
the prices registered a decline to 630.31 per kg from 646.79 per kg in 2014. The price
realization during 2016 (January-June) was 669.29 per kg compared to 619.76 per kg in June
2015, an increase of 49.53 per kg.
Pepper production in the State in recent years has been affected mainly by low productivity
and various diseases. In order to revive spices development in the state, the Department of
Agriculture had initiated comprehensive pepper development programmes in all districts in
2014-15. An integrated action plan was prepared for the revival of the crop, covering
reorientation of planting material production, expansion of grafting wherever possible, area-
wide disease management, liming and nutrients management and revival of pepper samities.
The increase in production achieved during 2015-16 could be because of this concerted effort
by the State Government.
29. Cashew
In 2015-16, India continued to be the largest producer of raw cashew nuts in the
world. The other main producing countries were Vietnam, Brazil, Tanzania and Ivory
Coast. The production of raw cashew nuts in India declined from 725 thousand MT
in 2014-15 to 670 thousand MT in 2015-16. The area under cashew cultivation,
however, recorded an increase from 1027 thousand hectares to 1034
thousand hectares.
In Kerala, in the last one decade, there has been a continuous and considerable
decline in both area under cultivation as well as production of cashew. It is alarming
to note that the production, which stood at 60 thousand MT in 2004-05, declined
to 33.3 thousand MT in 2013-14 and to 24.73 thousand MT in 2015-16. The area
under cultivation dwindled from 81,000 hectares to 49,000 hectares and to 43,000
hectares during the same period. The productivity of cashew, which was around
900 kg per hectare during the late eighties, also fell to 654 kg per hectare in 2014-
15. Area under and production of cashew have risen steadily in other producing
states of the country. Even though Andhra Pradesh has the highest area under
cultivation (18.3 per cent), Maharashtra is the leading producer with 32.9 percent
share in production during 2013-14.
30. Plantation crops
Plantation crops are, in general, either export-oriented or import-substituting and
therefore assume special significance from the national point of view. It is
estimated that nearly 14 lakh families are dependent on the plantation sector for
livelihood. Each of the four plantation crops of South India has its distinct
characteristics and economic problems. Consequent to the removal of quantitative
restrictions on imports, plantation crops are facing the threat of a surge in low
quality imports.
Kerala has a substantial share in the area in India cultivated with the four
plantation crops of rubber, tea, coffee and cardamom. These four crops together
occupy 7.04 lakh ha, accounting for 26.88 percent of the gross cropped area in
the state. During 2013-14, Kerala’s share in the national production was 72.02 per
cent in rubber, 22 per cent in coffee and 6.3 percent in tea
31. Rubber
Production of Natural Rubber (NR) in India declined by 12.9 per cent from 6.45 lakh tones in 2014-15 to 5.62
lakh tonnes in 2015-16. Even though tappable area under natural rubber was 5.59 lakh ha during 2015-16,
only 3.91 lakh ha of area contributed to the NR production during the year. Consequently, the average yield,
measured in terms of production per hectare of tapped area, declined to 1437 kg/ha in 2015-16 as compared
to 1443 kg/ha the previous year. During 2016-17, the production is estimated to be 6.54 lakh tonnes of NR.
Adverse weather, high wages, lack of skilled labourers and the grower’s reluctance in harvesting or
maintaining trees in response to the low NR prices have affected the production of natural rubber (NR) in
India in 2016. The consumption of NR in the country also came down by 2.6 percent to 10.2 lakh tonnes in
2014-15. This was due to a 2.5 percent decline in auto tyre manufacturing and a 2.7 percent fall in the general
rubber goods production. The volume of exports came down to 865 tonnes in 2015-16 from 1002 tonnes in
2014-15. The Central Government continued to provide incentives for exporting quality–endorsed branded
Indian Natural Rubber under a Market–linked Focus Product Scheme. The production scene was no different
in Kerala also, as the total production dwindled from 5.07 lakh MT in 2014-15 to 4.38 lakh MT in 2015-16.With
regard to rubber prices, it has been volatile in both the national and international markets. NR prices after
scaling to an all-time high during 2011 had fallen significantly, that too at an accelerating pace threatening the
very existence of the rubber producers. Rubber prices , both in the domestic and international markets had
been moving in tandem throughout the year. Domestic RRSS-4 and international RSS-3 prices increased from
April 2015 to June 2015 and then started decreasing from July 2015 to February 2016 and started slow
recovery during the end of the year. Main reasons for the fall in rubber prices were moderate economic
growth in China, slow recovery in the US and Europe, enhanced stock in Thailand, increase in world stock of
NR, relatively low oil prices and consequent low synthetic rubber prices. The domestic RSS-4 price at
Kottayam market came down and averaged at 113.06 per kg during 2015-16 compared to 132.57 per kg
during the previous year. Domestic RSS4 price peaked at 133 per kg on 17.06.2015 and international price of
RSS-3 peaked at 122 per kg on 03.06.2015. Domestic RSS-4 prices was ruling above the international RSS-3
price throughout the year during 2015-16.
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